Unbound mandolins?

[Andy Fielding]

What's the deal with unbound mandolins, anyway? Is it just me, or do they look oddly unfinished (http://www.acousticvibesmusic.com/catalog/images/708008.jpg)?

Consider that even the cheapest new guitars (http://www.stevesmusic.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&manufacturers_id=106&products_id=3400) are bound.

And, as far as I know, even Gibson's cheapest models (http://www.retrofret.com/products.asp?ProductID=3778&CartID=671780742009) always had bound tops... Their current starter models (http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/ProductSpotlight/NewModels/introducing-gibsons-new-609/) are top-bound, too. If binding is considered optional now, why would they do that, assuming they're trying to produce as plain-looking but good-sounding an instrument as possible? Do some makers still think it'd be too tacky to cross that line?

And do unbound models really save makers that much time and money? Or do you think it's just a marketing angle, and we've adjusted our esthetic standards accordingly?

[Douglas McMullin]

I don't have the answer you are looking for, but I prefer the plain look of no binding.

[Charlieshafer]

I have to say, on some mandos, no binding does give it a neat austere look. There's a guy in Vermont making really neat mandolins in the manner of violins (http://www.campanellastrings.com/mandolin/), with the small overhang and no binding. I know Music Emporium has one, and I want to try to get up there and play it. It's on my wishlist of it sounds as cool as it looks.

[JEStanek]

Depends. If the sides overlap like a violin like Joseph Campanella Cleary's (http://www.campanellastrings.com/instruments) then they won't be bound.

Binding an F style scroll is a lot more work than binding a guitar body. A plastic binding will protect the side wood better as it is tougher. A bound top/back makes separating the parts easier in that you can replace binding after the job. Look at many of your vintage Gibson oval holes or early F style oval hole mandolins, many will only have a bound top and an unbound back.

Collings MT and MF unbound back.
Breedlove Quartz line unbound top and back
Eastman 500 Series Bound top only.
Kentucky has unbound backs in its line
Weber as you pointed out has unbound instruments
Rigel... were any bound?
Gibson has unbound backs

Which makers were you thinking of? If this is a look you don't care for, pay more to get the fully bound bodies (and fingerboard, and headstock and even bound finger rest). Another thing to consider, look at how cleanly some inexpensive mandolins are bound WRT the joints between pieces vs those on a more expensive instrument. On the cheaper ones the bindings are melted sloppily with acetone while on a more expensive or better built one the bindings are carefully miter cut. These are time consuming activities if you want good fit and finish and you pay for it. The skill invovled in producing top and sidebound bindings in several layers is considerable. Add to that the careful chanelling, bending gluing and glue clean up prior to staining, then scraping the stain off.... it adds up. Not binding is a way to save the buyer a bit of money if they don't need the different parts bound.

I prefer the look of wooden bindings and ebony tuner buttons so I have no plastic on my mandolins if I can get them that way. It's just a preference.

Jamie

[woodwizard]

Call me crazy but I'm a sucker for a fully bound mandolin. I just think it protects better and looks awesome. Doesn't mean bound instruments sound better. I've had plenty of unbound back instruments that sounded dandy. Especially the custom '04 F9 I once owned. Well it may not have been custom but it sure had the most beautiful wood I've ever seen on a F9 and had dots on the fret board. I miss thaten!

[GDAE]

Personally, I quite like the plain look of the Weber linked to in the original post. I like that it doesn't look like every other mandolin I see--I've seen an unbound one in a store and it stood out, in a good way, amongst the others.

[barry k]

Its just you..........

[Chris Biorkman]

I prefer bound. Unbound mandolins look unfinished to me too. To each their own.

[Flattpicker]

I like the maple binding used by Stefan Passernig, for one. My squareneck dobro and one of my dreadnaughts also have maple binding. And, on guitars I like no binding at all in many cases. I have an old Washburn parlor with no binding and I love the look. As far as I'm concerned you can throw away all the plastic and herringbone--I wish I could rip it off of a couple of mine.

I think the models shown in the links above look great. I hope to see more of that in the years to come. I guess I just prefer the look of wood over plastic and shell.

[kirksdad]

Seriously Andy......what's the deal with Canadian Beer...???? Why is it so good ? is it just me ?????

[Charles E.]

I like bound instruments, preferably in a contrasting wood to the back and sides. It just looks complete. Even though Mr. Campanella is useing an overhang ( no binding ) he still uses purfling to finish the edge and lead the eye around the mandolin.

[onassis]

Not having binding (especially on an F style) HAS to save a ton of time, resulting in a higher quality instrument that can be had at a lower price point. And many high-end American manufacturers offer guitars with no binding, so that people like me can have the opportunity to own a domestically made instrument that would otherwise be unaffordable. I have a Martin D-15 that lists for $999, not much as far as American-made guitars go, but absolutely the upper limit for me at this time. And they can only sell it for that price because it is absolutely devoid of frills.
As far as aesthetics go, I actually prefer the bare-bones look. "Unpretentious" is the name of the game for me. My mando is fully bound, but it is Asian-made (hand-made in a small shop, but still Asian- $1100 new, but I got it used). I could never afford an American-made mando with these frills. So, if I want to upgrade to a domestic instrument any time in the forseeable future, it will probably be just as bare as my guitar.
But I like that.

[Jim Kirkland]

I picked up an unbound bodied mandolin that needed repair. I rebuilt it, and sure like the sound, looks sorta neat. Of course when I had a mando built, it was fully bound, like it also.

[Jim MacDaniel]

Depends upon the mandolin and wood choices IMO. That Weber you linked looks unbalanced to me, but even some simple black or ebony binding would visually tie the darkness of the fretboard and headstock to the lighter color of the body much better, and provide some visual weight to the body.

[Jill McAuley]

I used to think that I didn't like the look of unbound mandolins and then I saw my Gallatin on The Mandolin Store's website. Something about it just grabbed me and I found that I kept going back to look at it/check to see if it was still there every day. Finally I caved in and it now lives quite happily with me. I think it looks gorgeous, and more importantly is lovely to play and lovely sounding.

Cheers,
Jill

[allenhopkins]

Some of us are into bondage, some aren't...takes all kinds...

Perhaps I'm thinking of a different variety of binding?

[Martin Jonas]

Matter of taste. I do rather like unbound mandolins, and contrary to the original post in this thread, even Gibson made unbound mandolins. Orville's earliest carved mandos, both F and A, were unbound, as were the Army-Navy flattops and the A-jr. I have an A-jr which I think looks great, and I'm also very fond of my unbound Mid-Mo M-0.

Martin

[Malcolm G.]

That is one pretty mandolin, Jill!

[billkilpatrick]

i've got a "big muddy" M-0 with no binding as well - i use it for medieval music - looks more lute-like. depending on the individual, of course, but sight unseen, i imagine an "F" with no binding would look too much like a clunky lump of wood.

[BlueMt.]

I think the Phoenix Neoclassical looks just right.

[Mandoviol]

I kind of like Joseph Campanella Cleary's "fiddle"-style mandolins. You'd think they'd be a lot lighter than your average mando. Do you suppose the overlapping top gives it different resonance qualities?

[JeffD]

What's the deal with unbound mandolins, anyway? Is it just me, or do they look oddly unfinished (http://www.acousticvibesmusic.com/catalog/images/708008.jpg)??


It is a bit distinctive, especially when one is used to seeing the binding.

[John Flynn]

I like the unbound look. I have a Martin guitar, and three mandolins, a Parsons, a Rigel and a Mederios, all of which are unbound. I also have a mandolin and an OM that are bound. They are different looks, both great in their own way. I also think too much emphasis gets put on the looks of mandolins in general, the "fancy woodwork," but that's just MHO.

[Magnus Geijer]

Plastic has its uses, no doubt. To me, musical instruments is not one of them. After getting over the first "but that's how it's supposed to look" hump, it is now very hard for me to see the attraction in binding. My right arm certainly appreciates not having a sharp edge digging into it when playing.

/Magnus

[Mike Snyder]

I have never cared for the aesthetics of white plastic on a mandolin. I much prefer the look of contrasting wood, or even black or mock tortise. Mine has some acetone "melt" on the inside curl
that makes me crazy sometimes. It could possibly have been the result of careless sanding, I suppose. Looks like it was getting close to quitting time. It's not pretty, but it's mine, and I'm happy with the sound. Thank heavens that it's only bound on the top. Cudos to outfits like Weber who have put some really nice, unbound mandolins into the mix.

[Eddie Sheehy]

Antonio Tsai mandolins are fully bound and have cool abalone purfling and MOTS all over and really shine and have cool inlays and designs on the fretboard and look really complete and...
I still prefer my top-bound Dearstone D1A and my Mix F4 with NO binding...

[Norm Buck]

Seriously Andy......what's the deal with Canadian Beer...???? Why is it so good ? is it just me ?????

all things considered, yeah, it's just you, although I also think Canadian beer is so good! German beer is good too, but in order to be germane to the discussion, it is, after all, a matter of taste.
I am a fan of the look of Mr. Campanella's violin style mandolins. I am also a fan of minimalism in terms of unbound or wood bound mandolins. A satin finish speaks to me aesthetically more than a gloss finish does. But that's just me...

Norm

P.S. I really like the looks of the new Gibson Jam-Masters for the same reasons and ditto for the "econo" models of Mr. Bulldog. (single bound, I think) I just like simplicity of design. Having said that, I surely love an exquisite inlay....

Sorry, Barry for calling you Mr. Bulldog.... unless you like that...

[F-2 Dave]

I bought my F-2 when I was 16. It has the unbound back and headstock and I thought it was the greatest mandolin in the world. Fancier models just seemed superfluous. Ever since then I've been drawn to the more modest look of unbound instruments. I guess that's why i like the looks of my honey amber Collings MT. The top is bound, but with a tortise colored binding that is not really showy, but understated.

[fishtownmike]

I kinda like them. Someone mentioned guitar. Martin sold a few models without body binding. They were lower budget instruments though. They didn't look bad.

[Ron McMillan]

I know I am showing a profound degree of ignorance here (nothing unusual!), but could somebody help me with a clear explanation/definition of what 'bound' means?

I keep seeing references to instruments being bound or double-bound or other kinds of bound, but don't have a solid idea of the meaning.

ron

[Jill McAuley]

Ron, mandolins are sometimes bound on the top and back, or just the top - here is an unbound mandolin on the right and a bound mandolin on the left (the binding is the cream coloured line you see going all around the top and back):

Cheers,
Jill

[barry k]

:grin: No, I do not mind the "Mr. Bulldog " handle, Little Roy Lewis calls me " Mr Manolin man" I thought that was cool. I also like the understated look of a top bound mandolin, bells and whistles dont make em play or sound any better, or worse for that matter.

[Ron McMillan]

Ron, mandolins are sometimes bound on the top and back, or just the top - here is an unbound mandolin on the right and a bound mandolin on the left (the binding is the cream coloured line you see going all around the top and back):

Cheers,
Jill

Thanks for the explanation Jill. I note that on some websites, such as TAMCO in Brighton England, the more binding, the more expensive the instrument - higher range models from Eastman are double-bound or triple-bound.

What makes bound instruments more expensive and more in demand? Are there benefits to the sound in having something double- or triple-bound? Or are they just aesthetically more pleasing?

Just curious (as usual).

ron